Mining machine



Dec. 11,1923. 1,476,726 1 T.E.PRAY

:MINING MACHINE Filed Auiz. 1921 FIG. 2 11\ v 10 fivmToa; THomaEf PRAY621M? Pwe ATTIC Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. PRAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GOODMAN MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MINING MACHINE.

Application filed August 3, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. PRAY, a citizen of the United States,residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, haveinvented an Improvement in Mining Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in mining machines and moreparticularly to chain mining machines of the endless cutter chain type.

The principal object of the invention is to produce an improvedconstruction of the guideway carrying the cutter chain.

In the drawings, which represent one form in which my invention may beembodied, Figure 1 is a plan View showing a mining machine cutter arm,with the cutter chain removed, constructed in accordance with myinvention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the cutter arm, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed section taken on line 33 of Figure 2.

In the embodiment illustrated, my invention is applied to a cutter bar1, forming part of a mining machine, and having a cutter chain 2 mountedthereon. Said cutter chain is made up of a series of blocks, 3, 8,having cutter bits, 4, 4, projecting at varying angles therefrom, andconnected together with suitable side-straps, 5, 5. The cutter chain.moves in a guideway 6, formed about the cutter bar, and is providedwith a series of retaining lips 7 7, extending lat erally from the baseof the blocks and straps, and engaged with oppositely disposed guidestrips, or gibs 8, 8, secured along the upper and lower margins of theguideway, by suitable means such as rivets 9, 9.

The cutter bar is also provided with a cutter head 10, connected to theforward end of the bar. In such case, the cutter head is preferablyconstructed as a separate unit, detachably connected to the cutter bar,and provided with a separate set of gibs 11, 11, secured thereto,arranged to form a oontinuation of gibs 8, 8, when the cutter head isattached.

As heretofore constructed, the adjacent ends of the gibs 8, 8 and 11, 11usually abut end to end, and as so constructed, a slightdisplacement ofthe adjacent ends causes the chain to catch thereon, often causinginjury to the chain 1' to h guides.- .In my in Serial No. 489,517.

proved construction, the adjacent end portions of the ibs are turnedoutwardly with their faces a utting face to face as indicated bynumerals 13 and 14, and suitable recesses 15, 15 and 16, 16 are formedin the cutter head and arm respectively, to accommodate the turned endportions as shown. This arrangement provides a more durable constructionand eliminates the disadvantages of the prior construction above pointedout. It is obvious that the invention may also be applied to many otherforms of chain guideways in which the gibs are formed of a plurality ofabutting sections.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to cover byLetters Patent is:

1. In a mining machine, a guide section having a marginal recess at oneend, and a gib on said section having an end portion turned outwardlyinto said recess, with its end face substantially flush with theadjacent end surface of said guide section.

2. In a mining machine, a gib formed of a pluralit of metal stripsarranged in alignment with each other, the end portions of adjacentstrips being turned outwardly and abutting face to face.

3. In a mining machine, a grooved member forming a chain guide and apair of oppositely disposed gibs, mounted in said guide, each formed ofa plurality of metal strips arranged in alignment with each other, theend portions of adjacent strips being turned outwardly and abutting faceto face, substantially as described.

4. In a mining machine, a chain guide comprising a plurality of groovedsections, the abutting ends of said grooved sections being provided withmarginal recesses, and,

. THOMAS E- PR Y,

